Medjugorje: prayer, fasting and an ultimatum to the Vatican

Medjugorje revives the call to penance with harsh criticism of the Pope

Every day at 5:40 p.m., the hour of the Angelus, thousands of pilgrims in Medjugorje pray the rosary asking for conversion. A message circulating for the last 48 hours, attributed directly to Jesus Christ, has raised the tone: it denounces the "normalization of sin," compares abortion to "modern extermination camps," and calls on the Vatican not to downgrade the figure of Mary.

The content of the message: fasting, rosary and repentance

The publication, spread as "Jesus said it," insists on the daily practice of the rosary, fasting and repentance as the only weapons against what it calls "selfish and indifferent modern culture." The tone is apocalyptic: it calls on the faithful to wield the rosary as a "sword of light" against the dark hosts. But the controversial core is in its direct attack on Pope Francis for supposedly trying to eliminate the titles of Mary as Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix, invoking encyclicals of Leo XIII and Benedict XV.

A direct challenge to the Vatican's Marian doctrine

The message maintains that the doctrine on Mary as Co-Redemptrix is irrevocable magisterium of the Church, and that no later pope can annul it. The reference to Leo XIII and Benedict XV seeks to disavow any move by the current pontiff to soften that devotion. This clash reflects the tension between the traditionalist wing and Francis's more pastoral line, who in 2024 avoided taking a stance on the dogma of Co-Redemption in an interview.

Medjugorje: between popular worship and the wait for recognition

Meanwhile, the Holy See continues to study the phenomenon of Medjugorje, whose alleged apparitions began in 1981. A commission appointed by Francis already issued an opinion favorable to recognizing the spiritual fruits of the place, although without ruling on its supernatural character. The message now disseminated adds pressure to a process that pits conservatives against pogre.

The paradox is that this ultimatum comes just when the Vatican is closer than ever to taking an official step. The rosary, meanwhile, continues to slip through the fingers of the pilgrims.